Liz Sheffield Copywriting

Insider Insights for Raising ROI

Liz Sheffield

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What do job descriptions say about your culture?

a mag pub 2016Job descriptions provide a way of communicating about the organization, performance expectations, and job requirements. When they’re done well, they’re useful tools to engage applicants, inform employees, and help guide employment decisions. They provide valuable information about your organizational culture.

But how often do you read a job description that leaves you saying, “Huh?”

Don’t let that happen! In this post published at O.C. Tanner, I provide three ways to infuse some of your culture into your job descriptions—and on your website’s careers page—so that everyone understands what’s required.

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HR checklist for your start-up

Published at Cap401From what I’ve seen and heard, it’s not very common for startups to prioritize HR when they open their doors for business! But that’s a mistake. How should you think about HR for your startup? I’d suggest you create HR plans, policies, and processes that meet short-term needs and budgets while taking into account long-term risks and goals.

I get that startups rarely have dedicated HR staff, in fact often someone who may or may not have experience in HR is put in charge of handling handles hiring, payroll, benefits, grievances, promotions and other employee-related tasks. If that’s you, or if you want to think about HR before you open your doors for business, check out this article published at Captain401.

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Choose your HR experts carefully

Choose your expert carefullyMy recent writing projects have required a significant amount of research. About HR systems. Policies. Labor laws. Health and wellness. Retirement investments. I’ve been looking at how businesses—specifically the people in charge of HR—manage these complex topics.

As a life-long learner, I appreciate the opportunity to dig into the data and talk to experts about how the world of HR comes to life. I believe these insider insights are what makes the messages we create for our readers, clients, and prospects more valuable.

But in a desire to create value, we have to be cautious. Who are the experts—both in person and on the page—to whom we refer? If the expert source we cite somehow doesn’t resonate with our reader, we’ve lost them.

As an example, I was writing an article about career development. I found a small meat packing company that provides excellent career benefits for their employees. I was excited about the way their approach illustrated my points about the importance of career development.

Then, it hit me: there were likely vegetarians and vegans in the group of people who would read the article. People who might not appreciate, or relate to, an organization that packs meat.

I opted not to use the example from that company. It was too risky. I didn’t want the article I was writing to be dismissed after the words “meat packing plant” appeared on the page.

It’s the same if you’re working with a prospect. The experts you highlight need to be relevant for your audience. Talking to retail organizations? Your experts should be people who understand retail, either through their research or as another organization in the retail space.

Are you looking to expand your product offering to small business clients? Then show them how your HR software has helped other small business clients. Don’t use Walmart or Starbucks as an example. Small businesses don’t relate to giant companies. Small business owners want to hear from an expert who understands their unique set of challenges.

Not sure where to find HR research, data, or experts? Here are some places to start:

Not only will these organizations provide you with data and research you can use in your conversations and content, they will also provide insight about what your prospects and clients face in their role as HR leaders.

With time and care, you might just become an expert yourself.

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This Isn’t Your Father’s Learning, Or Is It?

Published at eLB for blogIt’s interesting to talk about the world of learning with people who haven’t been in school for a while, or people who are retired. The idea of learning outside the classroom and using computers to complete training is not the learning environment they experienced. That’s the case with my dad. It took a few discussions to explain how online learning works.

In honor of Father’s Day, my most recent article at eLearning Brothers is a reflection on how learning has changed, and how it’s the same, after all these years:

My 74-year-old father got his first cell phone about a month ago. He’s been holding out, but when the landline in his house was out for a few weeks, and the phone company wasn’t sure when they’d be able to get around to fixing it, he knew it was time to get a mobile phone.

In my father’s case, the Internet and eLearning came about long after he had graduated and was entrenched in the working world. Truth is, the learning world has experienced a massive shift since my father was a student in the 1950s, sitting in a row of desks, staring at a chalkboard as his teachers made him recite lessons from his primers and walloped him on his knuckles with a ruler if he made a mistake.

Read the full article here.

 

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Mike Rowe and Alan Mulally Kick of #SHRM16

Mike Rowe OCT post croppedI live with three Mike Rowe fans (two sons under the age of 13 years, and one husband in his 40s). And, thanks to their insistence that I check out the TV show Rowe hosted for nearly a decade, Dirty Jobs, I became a fan myself.

Missing Rowe’s presentation at the Annual Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) Conference is just one of the many reasons I’m disappointed I won’t be in attendance this year. But for HR leaders who will be in Washington, D.C. for the conference, check out my post at ‘a magazine’ to learn more about Rowe and his co-presenter, Alan Mulally, who brought Ford Motor Company back from bankruptcy. Read the full article here.

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Do you know your audience?

AudienceI recently attended a presentation for HR leaders. The topic was how to make the transition to becoming a Chief HR Officer. The presenter had 30+ years of experience in the HR industry. He was engaging. He had good stories and insights to share. But unfortunately, he didn’t have a clue when it came to his audience.

His presentation consisted of 45 slides:
– 17 photos of men, 1 photo of a woman
– 10 analogies, all related to sports

His audience:
– 40 HR leaders, 33 women and 7 men (including him)
These ratios aren’t a fluke. There are a lot of women in HR.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a “man hater”—I’m married to a man and I’m raising two sons.
And, I actually enjoy a good sports analogy. But at a certain point I stopped engaging with this presenter’s message, because he hadn’t geared his message to his audience. Seeing photo after photo of successful men doesn’t inspire me. And, he lost me at the fifth sports analogy–most of us in Seattle are not fans of the New England Patriots.

This presenter missed a huge opportunity, but you don’t need to do the same.
Before you engage with employees, clients, or prospects…seek to understand your audience. Know who they are before you walk into the room, pick up the phone, or send an email. (Hubspot has a great template  to create personas for your audience. And we’re in luck…the sample persona they use is for a Head of HR.)

Don’t just rely on who your own thoughts or assumptions about HR.
Talk to colleagues and people like me, who have worked in the field of HR. I can help answer questions about what might resonate (or not) with your HR audience. No, you can’t please everyone. And no, you don’t have a crystal ball about your customers. But you have to try.

If you don’t make some effort to connect with and understand your audience based on who they are and what they value, you risk losing them before you’ve even started.